- For further information, including the full final version of the list, read the Wikipedia article: Swadesh list.
American linguist Morris Swadesh believed that languages changed at measurable rates and that these could be determined even for languages without written precursors. Using vocabulary lists, he sought to understand not only change over time but also the relationships of extant languages. To be able to compare languages from different cultures, he based his lists on meanings he presumed would be available in as many cultures as possible. He then used the fraction of agreeing cognates between any two related languages to compute their divergence time by some (still debated) algorithms. Starting in 1950 with 165 meanings, his list grew to 215 in 1952, which was so expansive that many languages lacked native vocabulary for some terms. Subsequently, it was reduced to 207, and reduced much further to 100 meanings in 1955. A reformulated list was published posthumously in 1971.
No.
|
English
|
Jarai Jarai
|
1
|
I
|
kâo
|
2
|
you (singular)
|
ih, ŏng (masculine, informal)
|
3
|
he, she, it
|
gơ̆, ñu
|
4
|
we
|
gơmơi, ƀing gơmơi (exclusive), ta, ƀing ta (inclusive)
|
5
|
you (plural)
|
gih, ƀing gih (informal), ƀing ih (formal)
|
6
|
they
|
arăng, ƀing gơ̆, gơñu (exclusive), ƀing gơñu
|
7
|
this
|
anai
|
8
|
that
|
anŭn
|
9
|
here
|
anai
|
10
|
there
|
anŭn, adih
|
11
|
who
|
hlơi
|
12
|
what
|
hơget
|
13
|
where
|
pơpă
|
14
|
when
|
tơdang
|
15
|
how
|
hiư̆m
|
16
|
not
|
ƀu}, ôh}
|
17
|
all
|
raih
|
18
|
many
|
lu
|
19
|
some
|
đơđa
|
20
|
few
|
ƀiă
|
21
|
other
|
phara
|
22
|
one
|
sa
|
23
|
two
|
dua
|
24
|
three
|
klâo
|
25
|
four
|
pă
|
26
|
five
|
rơma
|
27
|
big
|
prĭn, prŏng
|
28
|
long
|
glông
|
29
|
wide
|
prong, prong krin
|
30
|
thick
|
kơpal
|
31
|
heavy
|
kơtraŏ
|
32
|
small
|
anĕt
|
33
|
short
|
bêr (length), djăl(height)
|
34
|
narrow
|
kơsep
|
35
|
thin
|
net
|
36
|
woman
|
đah bơnai
|
37
|
man (adult male)
|
đah rơkơi
|
38
|
man (human being)
|
mơnuih
|
39
|
child
|
ană
|
40
|
wife
|
bơnai
|
41
|
husband
|
rơkơi
|
42
|
mother
|
amĭ
|
43
|
father
|
ama
|
44
|
animal
|
hlô mơnŏng
|
45
|
fish
|
akan
|
46
|
bird
|
čĭm
|
47
|
dog
|
asâo
|
48
|
louse
|
kơtâo
|
49
|
snake
|
ala
|
50
|
worm
|
rơ̆năng
|
51
|
tree
|
kơyâo
|
52
|
forest
|
glai
|
53
|
stick
|
gai
|
54
|
fruit
|
bôh
|
55
|
seed
|
asar
|
56
|
leaf
|
hla
|
57
|
root
|
akha
|
58
|
bark (of a tree)
|
kơđuh
|
59
|
flower
|
bơnga
|
60
|
grass
|
rơk
|
61
|
rope
|
tơlơi
|
62
|
skin
|
klĭ
|
63
|
meat
|
mơnŏng
|
64
|
blood
|
drah
|
65
|
bone
|
tơlang
|
66
|
fat (noun)
|
rơmă
|
67
|
egg
|
boh
|
68
|
horn
|
tơki
|
69
|
tail
|
aku
|
70
|
feather
|
blâo
|
71
|
hair
|
ƀuk(head), blâo (body)
|
72
|
head
|
akŏ
|
73
|
ear
|
tơngia
|
74
|
eye
|
mơta
|
75
|
nose
|
adŭng
|
76
|
mouth
|
mơbah
|
77
|
tooth
|
tơgơi
|
78
|
tongue (organ)
|
jơlăh
|
79
|
fingernail
|
tơkâo
|
80
|
foot
|
tơkai
|
81
|
leg
|
tơkai
|
82
|
knee
|
tơŭt
|
83
|
hand
|
tơngan
|
84
|
wing
|
čơčăng
|
85
|
belly
|
tian
|
86
|
guts
|
pruaĭ
|
87
|
neck
|
tơkuai
|
88
|
back
|
rŏng
|
89
|
breast
|
tơda (chest)
|
90
|
heart
|
hơtai bôh
|
91
|
liver
|
hơtai
|
92
|
to drink
|
mơñum
|
93
|
to eat
|
huă (with rice)
|
94
|
to bite
|
kĕ
|
95
|
to suck
|
ƀop (straw)
|
96
|
to spit
|
kơčuh
|
97
|
to vomit
|
ŏ
|
98
|
to blow
|
bluh
|
99
|
to breathe
|
suă pran
|
100
|
to laugh
|
klao
|
101
|
to see
|
ƀuh
|
102
|
to hear
|
hơmư̆
|
103
|
to know
|
thâo
|
104
|
to think
|
pơmĭn
|
105
|
to smell
|
ƀâo
|
106
|
to fear
|
bơngŏt
|
107
|
to sleep
|
pĭt
|
108
|
to live
|
hơdĭp
|
109
|
to die
|
djai
|
110
|
to kill
|
pơ̆djai
|
111
|
to fight
|
pơrơtaih
|
112
|
to hunt
|
hiu lua
|
113
|
to hit
|
păh
|
114
|
to cut
|
tă
|
115
|
to split
|
čar
|
116
|
to stab
|
čŭt
|
117
|
to scratch
|
kuah
|
118
|
to dig
|
kuai (with hands or claws)
|
119
|
to swim
|
luai
|
120
|
to fly
|
pŏr
|
121
|
to walk
|
hiu
|
122
|
to come
|
truh
|
123
|
to lie (as in a bed)
|
đih
|
124
|
to sit
|
dô̆
|
125
|
to stand
|
tơgŭ
|
126
|
to turn (intransitive)
|
pơ̆dar
|
127
|
to fall
|
lê̆ (humans)
|
128
|
to give
|
brơi
|
129
|
to hold
|
djă
|
130
|
to squeeze
|
ñač (wring)
|
131
|
to rub
|
mlia
|
132
|
to wash
|
rao
|
133
|
to wipe
|
uă
|
134
|
to pull
|
dui
|
135
|
to push
|
čur
|
136
|
to throw
|
glŏm
|
137
|
to tie
|
čăp (in a bundle)
|
138
|
to sew
|
čơčoh (with a machine)
|
139
|
to count
|
yap
|
140
|
to say
|
laĭ
|
141
|
to sing
|
adôh
|
142
|
to play
|
ngui
|
143
|
to float
|
pơđông
|
144
|
to flow
|
rô
|
145
|
to freeze
|
|
146
|
to swell
|
bơ̆brăh}
|
147
|
sun
|
yang hrơi
|
148
|
moon
|
yang ƀlan
|
149
|
star
|
pơ̆tŭt
|
150
|
water
|
ia
|
151
|
rain
|
hơjan
|
152
|
river
|
čroh ia
|
153
|
lake
|
dơnao
|
154
|
sea
|
rơsĭ
|
155
|
salt
|
hra
|
156
|
stone
|
pơtâo
|
157
|
sand
|
čuah
|
158
|
dust
|
ƀruih
|
159
|
earth
|
lŏn
|
160
|
cloud
|
gơ̆thul
|
161
|
fog
|
gơ̆thul
|
162
|
sky
|
adai
|
163
|
wind
|
angĭn
|
164
|
snow
|
|
165
|
ice
|
|
166
|
smoke
|
asăp
|
167
|
fire
|
apui
|
168
|
ash
|
hơ̆bao
|
169
|
to burn
|
čuh
|
170
|
road
|
jơlan
|
171
|
mountain
|
čư̆
|
172
|
red
|
mraih
|
173
|
green
|
mơtah
|
174
|
yellow
|
kơñĭ
|
175
|
white
|
kŏ
|
176
|
black
|
jŭ
|
177
|
night
|
mlăm
|
178
|
day
|
hrơi
|
179
|
year
|
thŭn
|
180
|
warm
|
pơđao
|
181
|
cold
|
rơŏt
|
182
|
full
|
bă
|
183
|
new
|
pơ̆hrâu
|
184
|
old
|
tha (living being)
|
185
|
good
|
hiam
|
186
|
bad
|
sat
|
187
|
rotten
|
brŭ
|
188
|
dirty
|
grĭ
|
189
|
straight
|
anang
|
190
|
round
|
wĭl
|
191
|
sharp (as a knife)
|
tơma
|
192
|
dull (as a knife)
|
tơ̆nol
|
193
|
smooth
|
|
194
|
wet
|
pơsah
|
195
|
dry
|
kro
|
196
|
correct
|
djơ̆
|
197
|
near
|
giăm, jê̆
|
198
|
far
|
ataih
|
199
|
right
|
gah hơnuă
|
200
|
left
|
gah ieo
|
201
|
at
|
pơ
|
202
|
in
|
amăng
|
203
|
with
|
hăng
|
204
|
and
|
hăng
|
205
|
if
|
plă
|
206
|
because
|
yuadah
|
207
|
name
|
anăn
|